“My mind in the past couple of years has folded on itself. I just went to the Dr. and they said I just tested positive for Dementia.”

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— the final Facebook post by Army Specialist Ricky Elder last Thursday at Fort Bragg, N.C. About an hour later, he shot and killed his commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Roy Tisdale, before fatally shooting himself. Good story into the tragedy in the Fayetteville Observer, followed by a raft of comments worth reading.

One thing I've learned about these types of events is that what is in the papers is often wrong. Officials are not allowed to comment in the middle of an investigation, and, for privacy reasons, some details never emerge. Therefore, what usually makes it to the papers is the wrongdoer's side of the story, with no nuance, no explanations. By the time the military is able to tell their side of the story, the public has often moved on.

What happened is tragic, for both parties. But just because it is posted on Facebook doesn't make it gospel.

Don-I get what you're driving at. But even people getting ready to die want to affect how they are viewed by other people. I'm not saying SPC Elder is right or wrong. But much like any other case in the media I can name the press is rushing to failure by trying to be the first with the news. That means scouring FB pages, high school acquaintances who haven't spoken to him in years, and repackaging the official DoD statement in a thousand different ways. And guess what? LTC Tisdale didn't have the luxury of reflecting and composing what were going to be his final words to his friends and family. He never even got to say goodbye.